Assam CM Hails Gauhati HC Order On Forest Encroachment, Says More Eviction Drives Likely

Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the Gauhati High Court’s directive to fence off forest areas to curb encroachment, calling it a turning point in the state’s fight to protect natural resources.

He said the government will intensify eviction operations in the days ahead.

CM Terms Verdict “Historic”

Speaking at a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma described the court’s ruling as a landmark moment in Assam’s efforts to reclaim forest land.

“The Gauhati High Court has delivered a historic judgement. The Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court said that the government should bring a stern regulation to prevent new encroachment. The government should take action against those government officers under whose watch a large-scale encroachment took place in forest lands,” he said.

The Chief Minister added that the ruling had thwarted the Congress party’s promise of returning land to alleged encroachers if it came to power.

Court Order

The division bench of Chief Justice Ashwini Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhary directed the state government to erect fences around reserved forests to prevent further encroachment.

As per the order, encroachers will be given 15 days to reply to eviction notices and another 15 days to vacate the occupied land.

This decision comes soon after the High Court’s July 31 order, which asked Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram to set up a high-level committee for clearing encroachments along interstate forest boundaries.

Congress Under Fire

Sarma blamed widespread forest encroachments on the Congress-led government between 2006 and 2014.

“After this verdict, we have now become more powerful and in the coming days we can carry out more eviction drives. Today’s verdict has stopped the announcement of the Congress party that they said they would return the lands after forming the government. This government will not compromise,” he declared.

He noted that the judgment will serve as a guiding framework for future actions, not only for forest land but also for grazing reserves (VGR/PGR) and revenue lands.

Large-Scale Evictions Already Underway

The Assam government has recently stepped up operations to clear encroached land. In Uriamghat, Golaghat district, more than 10,000 bighas of forest land were freed earlier this month, with several houses and structures demolished.

In the Rengma Reserve Forest, authorities reclaimed nearly 2,500 bighas (around 827 acres). The first phase of this operation concluded on August 2 in Bidyapur and 2 No. Madhupur.

According to official figures, more than 1.29 lakh bighas of government and forest land — including VGR and PGR areas — have been cleared of illegal occupation across Assam so far. Key high-density zones targeted include Bidyapur, Pithaghat, Sonaribeel, Doyalpur, Dolonipathar, Kherbari, Anandapur, and Madhupur.